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Antarctica
Adventure in the Last Wilderness aboard the Explorer II
The Route of the Tour

February 1 - 12, 2007

Note: This tour has concluded. The following was our itinerary:

Literally every moment will take your breath away! A pod of humpback whales breaching the icy floes. A wandering albatross lifting his enormous wings to take flight. Raucous rookeries of penguins unafraid and unperturbed by your presence.

You will sail on seas of glass; pass castles of ice like giant, glittering prisms riding in an ink-blue sea. A slow passage through the stunning icescapes of Lemaire Channel or Paradise Bay cannot fail to stir your very soul.

Equally thrilling is the sense of adventure. This indomitable land demands that you visit on her own terms, as explorers. You'll travel in the wake-and in the spirit - of historic trail blazers like Sir Ernest Shackleton, Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen.

While enjoying the creature comforts of Explorer II, you'll have a hands-on exploration with curious, like-minded fellow guests led by eminent group of Antarctic experts.

Your Tour Includes...

•  Complimentary pre-cruise overnight in Santiago

•  12 days/11 nights cruise aboard the World's Top-Rated Expedition Ship, Explorer II

•  Complimentary charter flight roundtrip Santiago to/from Ushuaia

•  Complimentary beverages on board including select liquor and wines

•  Shipboard gratuities in cruise fare

•  All Zodiac excursions included

•  Ushuaia city tour including lunch

•  Elephant Island where Shackleton's men spent 105 days

•  Look for chinstrap, macaroni and gentoo penguins on Livingston Island

•  Antarctic Sound and Iceberg Alley

•  Sail through huge caldera of deception Island for a dip in thermal waters of Pendulum Cove

•  Explore breathtaking Lemaire Channel

•  Glimpse calving glaciers in Paradise Bay

•  Watch humpback whales and crabeater seals

•  Transit Neumayer Channel with vistas of Anvers Island

•  Complimentary backpack and parka to take home

•  Boots and binoculars are provided free of charge on board during the expedition

•  Expedition team of the highest caliber

 

Your Itinerary...

January 31—Pre-Cruise: Santiago, Chile

You'll enjoy a complimentary overnight hotel stay in Santiago before flying to Ushuaia to begin your expedition. A charter flight will take you to Ushuaia tomorrow.

February 1 —Ushuaia, Argentina

Fly to Ushuaia for a sightseeing tour along the steep streets of the southernmost city in the world. Here we board Explorer II and settle in for our first night on board. Meet and mingle with the expedition team and fellow guests. Take advantage of the austral summer daylight to toast a bon voyage out on deck as we set sail past the cormorant and seal colonies of the magnificent Beagle Channel.

February 2 —At Sea

As we cruise east towards the Falklands, our team of experts begins their informal discussions on the fauna, flora and history of Antarctic exploration. Tonight is the Captain's Welcome Dinner. This evening and our last aboard ship are the only two nights where formal attire is suggested. All other evenings will be country club casual.

 

February 3 —Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

Enjoy a taste of Victorian England in the South Atlantic. Take a stroll through the streets of the Falklands' quaint frontier capital with its colorful houses and friendly villagers. Optional shore excursions are also available.

February 4 - 5 —At Sea

Our days at sea are as exciting as our days ashore, as we look for whales and seals, giant albatross and blue-eyed shags - all while surrounded by spectacular scenery and ice-filled channels.

February 6 - 9 —South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

As the Antarctic Peninsula appears on the horizon, excitement mounts. Landing might include Livingston Island with is enormous rookeries of squawking, waddling and remarkably social penguins, and Deception Island where the most adventurous may choose to go "swimming" oin the thermal springs. We'll sail across the Antarctic Sound, sometimes known as Iceberg Alley, and transit the lemaire and Neumayer channels filled with some of the most dramatic and humbling landscapes imaginable. In Paradise Bay, we may try Zodiac cruising for a view of some of the various seals and penguins resting on ice floes, and go sliding on the hill behind the historic research station at Port Lockroy.

February 10 - 11 —Cruise Drake Passage and Cape Horn

In 1578 cruising Cape Horn aboard the Golden Hind, Francis Drake and his crew encountered a tremendous storm which blew them southwest around Tierra del Fuego, proving that it was separated from any southern continent, and the passageway came to be known as the Drake Passage. This remote 600-mile stretch teems with wildlife at this time of year, when the warm waters of the north converge with the icy waters of Antarctica, creating a nutrient-rich feeding ground of krill and plankton for multitudes of seabirds and whales. As sailors can attest, the awe that travelers feel when encountering Cape Horn is inspired by its unique location at the confluence of the two greatest oceans on earth, the Atlantic and the Pacific.

February 12 —Ushuaia - Santiago

Today we disembark for our complimentary charter flight to Santiago to catch connecting flights home. If you've added an optional hotel or land extension, your transfers are included.

Contact

MWT Associates, Inc.
(415)337-1100
tours@melitatrips.com

Reservations

1-877-707-7827
FAX: (408)279-5587
CST: 2040611-40

 


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